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Stephenson, Winker eager for Futures experience

Bill Vilona, pnj.com
6:06 p.m. CDT July 11, 2014

Blue Wahoos outfielder Jesse Winker, left, and pitcher Robert Stephenson, right, are heading to the Major League Baseball Futures Game in Minneapolis on Sunday. The two are both former first-round picks and considered rising stars in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
(Photo:
Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com
)

The hopeful baseball experience caught Jesse Winker’s attention a year ago, back when he watched the Futures Game inside a visiting team clubhouse.

“We were in Quad Cities (Davenport, Iowa) when I was playing with Dayton (Dragons),” the outfielder said. “It was obviously something I wanted to make and thought it would a lot of fun to play in.”

He will soon find out.

Winker and pitcher Robert Stephenson traveled Saturday to Minneapolis, where they will represent the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in Sunday’s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Target Field. The all-star exhibition game at 4 p.m. pairs a team of U.S. born major league prospects against the World team in a showcase of baseball’s top minor league talent.

The Futures Game began in 1999. It was designed around the Major League Baseball All-Star Game weekend. The 85th MLB All-Star game is Tuesday at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.

The Blue Wahoos and the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs — the Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate — are the only two minor league teams with two players in Sunday’s game.

“There are only so many guys in the minor leagues and they are picking just a small percentage of them,” Stephenson said. “I think it’s a huge honor just to be selected for it.

“I would have to think as far as minor leaguers go, this is the biggest event you could possibly be selected for. Hopefully, there will be a big crowd turning out.”

They first met on the Reds’ Rookie League team in Billings, Mont., where fellow Blue Wahoos player Ben Lively — the Gulf Breeze High graduate — began his pro career last summer.

Stephenson, 21, would have been the Blue Wahoos’ starter in Sunday’s game against the Montgomery Biscuits. Instead, he expects to throw one inning at Target Field. The game will be available on the MLB Network and MLB.com.

“I know I will be pitching an inning, but I have no idea what inning yet,” Stephenson said. “These will be really good hitters so I will have to mix in a few off-speed pitches. It’s only one inning, and I’ll be missing a start for it, so I might as well give what I’ve got.”

Winker was unsure whether he will be a starter or enter later in the game. He might get a couple at-bats.

“You want to go up there and do damage,” said Winker, an Orlando Olympia High graduate, who has delivered two walk-off hits for Blue Wahoos wins since joining the team June 19. “It’s on TV, so you want to hopefully get remembered for doing something special.

“You try to take it like another game. It’s a very fun game, but you want to take it like another at-bat. Any time you get the opportunity to play on TV, you are going to be pumped up anyway.”

For both players, they have dealt with the attention and scrutiny associated with being a team’s No. 1 draft pick. The Reds are hoping both players can continue progression well enough to merit a roster spot with the big league team in future seasons.

“I look at it like you are given an opportunity and a privilege,” said Winker, who turns 21 on Aug. 17. “We were given the privilege to play baseball. We were given the privilege to be a high-round pick and to be in the Futures Game.

“Expectations... you don’t think about that as a player. I feel like it’s stuff for fans to talk about. As a player, you just worry about doing what it takes to get better every day.”

Stephenson has flashed his potential since joining the Blue Wahoos in the second half of last season. He’s started 17 games this season with a 4-6 record and 3.97 earned run average.

“I have definitely had my share of struggles this year, but I think that can be good for you,” he said. “If you are always dominating leagues, it’s kind of easy to forget what you need to work on. The struggles are where you really learn and how you get better.

“Generally what I’ve heard is that if you can’t pitch here (in Double-A), you can’t pitch in the big leagues. It’s kind of a separator.”

Want to watch?

• WHO: Outfielder Jesse Winker and pitcher Robert Stephenson will represent the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and play for the U.S. team against the World All-Stars.

• WHAT: 16th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

• WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday.

• WHERE: Target Field, Minneapolis.

• FORMAT: Nine inning game featuring top prospects from all levels of minor league baseball.